This is a superb 2D platformer that’s as easy to hate as it is to love, and your patience for punishment will be the determining factor. Players who live to overcome abusive challenges and obsess over discovering new things will hunger for Spelunky's deeply rewarding exploration.

Pick up Spelunky if you’re a fan of actiony roguelike games, supremely challenging platformers, or if you’re simply a gaming masochist who finds themselves griping about how too damn easy games are nowadays.

A few years ago, Spelunky was a unique phenomenon. Now, when its ideas have been adopted and improved upon by Super House of the Dead Ninjas, Binding of Isaac, and Rogue Legacy, this remake is simply first among equals.

Spelunky is a 2D platformer rougelike available for the PC and the XBox 360, and has recently been ported to the PS Vita, developed andSpelunky is a 2D platformer rougelike available for the PC and the XBox 360, and has recently been ported to the PS Vita, developed and released by indie developer Derek Yu, at Mossmouth Studios. This 2013 release is an HD remake of the original game, now known as Spelunky Classic, released in 2006, with updated graphics, improved mechanics and a bonus level for those willing to challenge King Yama and defy death itself.

"Spelunky is a unique platformer with randomized levels that offer a challenging new experience each time you play. Journey deep underground and explore fantastic places filled with all manner of monsters, traps, and treasure. You'll have complete freedom while you navigate the fully-destructible environments and master their many secrets. To stay or flee, to kill or rescue, to shop or steal... in Spelunky, the choice is yours and so are the consequences!"

Or at least that's what the store page has to say about the game.

Spelunky is decievingly cute and cheerful game, with its cartoonish graphics and bright and colorful levels. However, under this guise hides a evil and almost sadistic game.
The game is extremely unforgiving when it comes to mistakes. One false move and you're probably going to end up impaled on some spikes.
Being a rougelike, death is permanent and means that you must start the game from the scratch once you die.

However, I think this adds to the overall game experience, as you end up planning your moves and advance in order not only to survive, but to gather as much delicious loot as you can get your hands on.
For most players, this game will be a trail by fire, and you will most likely die several times before you get the hang of it, so don't take it personally if you don't make it to the end immediately. You will die, that's how the game was made to be.

The game itself is relatively short, spanning 4 different areas (5 including the bonus Hell stage), consisting of 4 levels each. However, as I said before, you're going to most likely die dozens, if not hundred of times before you will actually have a shot at the final boss.
That may sound boring, repeating the same levels over and over again, but that is where Spelunky's greatest mechanic comes into play: the randomly generated levels. Each level has certain tilesets that are shuffled and mixed randomly each time, giving you a different level each time, but with common elements that you can learn to take advantage of.

The controls are pretty solid, and any mistakes you make will almost always be your fault. The game enables you to connect a XBox 360 controller and play with that instead, which I highly recommend, since the keyboard controls are absolutely horrid.
My issue with the keyboard controls was that I felt I was constantly struggling to keep my hands in the correct position, so I usually ended up overshooting my jumps or not sprinting at the right time. I felt like I was constantly fighting the controls.
The end result was usually me dead, and spikes having something to do with it.

As for how intuitive the controls are, the basics you need to play the game, such as running and jumping are pretty straightforward. However, there are some more advanced tricks experienced players can use, such as aiming your throws, or boosting your jumps by stomping enemies. There is a tutorial section available for those who struggle with the controls.

Derek Yu decided to take a different artistic direction from the original game, going from the old-school retro pixel graphics, to a more cartoonish style, with vividly colored environments. This was resented by some of the more die-hard fans of the original game, but I think it works pretty well.
The graphics are simple, but they are also highly polished, with plenty of debris and particles flying all over the place to add to the chaos.

The soundtrack is also different from the original, with more a more modern style to the original 8-bit style of Spelunky Classic. There are however some chiptune songs for some of the secrets hidden away in the game.

The game doesn't have any online multiplayer features, but it does have local co-op or deathmatch modes,

Spelunky focuses more on its gameplay than on a storyline, and honestly, there is only so much story you can cram into a platformer. The main theme of the game is that you stumble upon the mystical ruins of the great idol Olmec, and in your quest for riches and glory, you decide to challenge the ruins, and if you are brave enough, even Olmec himself!

To summarize, I think Spelunky is well worth the $15 price tag, giving hours and hours of cave-delving and loot-grabbing, lethal, fun. I've played it for over 250 hours and I still enjoy it as much as the first time I played it. I'm comfortable giving it a 10 out of 10 and giving it the title of my favorite game of all time.
Head to the Steam Store page, and buy it now!…Expand

Think its the best 2d platformer game of 2013. This game surpasses Rayman Origins & Legneds in all aspects. The gameplay's great. I loveThink its the best 2d platformer game of 2013. This game surpasses Rayman Origins & Legneds in all aspects. The gameplay's great. I love playin it time to time. I love the scenery. The mechanics of the game were good.…Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view.
Spelunky is a game that requires an innumerable amount of skill. The challenges are nearly impossible to achieve, and require an immense amount of time to achieve. Needless to say these challenges will give you that great feeling of achievement afterward. The levels are randomized well, so the experience is rarely the same. There will be times that you get to skip levels, and times you will be challenged. There are many different items, an interesting shop (which u can even steal from), and multiple ways to beat the game. Overall this is a great, simple, challenging game that I'd recommend to anyone looking for a cheap and fun time.…Expand

I was all-kinds-of lost in this game. It threw me by surprise, how much engaging, fun and adventurous such simple looking game can be. ButI was all-kinds-of lost in this game. It threw me by surprise, how much engaging, fun and adventurous such simple looking game can be. But while it is simple for the gamer, I bet underneath, there is a ton of complicated logic and many hours of polish to reach this wonderful result... I am not sure what else to say, but there is certainly no point of describing it (it is random-generated map game, jump and running exploration).

Anyway, the game is so addictive, that you start playing, and playing and then playing some more... Then you play one last game, and one more after that and this goes for a while. It is a really hard game to put down.
Oh, and one more thing - this is a hard game, it's about fast reflexes and thought out actions - it's all about getting better and better within it's premise. I never felt frustrated though, it is challenging but never unfair. How can it be unfair, when you are in the control of your every move?…Expand

‘Colorful, frantic, and just about as infuriating as it is addictive.’

With its randomly generated level design and fully destructible‘Colorful, frantic, and just about as infuriating as it is addictive.’

With its randomly generated level design and fully destructible environments, Spelunky unearths a gold mine of fun and frustration that is sure to induce gamer rage yet somehow still manages to keep you hooked for hours upon hours as you experience new and refreshing adventures each time you play in this thrilling 2D platformer.

If relentless, unforgiving 2D platformers are your sort of thing, then this little charmer is definitely the right game for you.…Expand

I don't own a console, so I played this game for the first time, on a PC. I'm not impressed at all The only "new" concept was the randomI don't own a console, so I played this game for the first time, on a PC. I'm not impressed at all The only "new" concept was the random generated levels and even this was old for PC (see Dungeon Hack). Music was mediocre, graphics the same and all in all I've seen much better platforms before. I really can't understand the whole hype about it.....…Expand

Not a bad game, but I'm giving it a 0 because it can't run very well on Windows 8. It crashes a lot. I cant even complete the tutorial withoutNot a bad game, but I'm giving it a 0 because it can't run very well on Windows 8. It crashes a lot. I cant even complete the tutorial without it crashing. It would also be nice to have the option to use buffs if you are bad at it to help noobs.…Expand